About me
You don't drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.
Since you've found your way to my page, you are likely to be dealing with negative thoughts or events that may affect your well-being and interactions with other people. You may be feeling unhappy, isolated, angry, or wondering why unhelpful patterns keep repeating themselves. All of us at some point in our lives may need support to tackle these problems, especially if they stay with us for too long. Family and friends can help, but they may be judgemental, emotionally involved, or may not accept what you have to say. These may be the times to seek out a counsellor.
I am a down-to-earth psychotherapist, and my aim is to help you make sense of difficult feelings and views, so you can know yourself better and find ways to change - if you want to. Whether you are feeling down, insecure or stuck because of your relationships, work, social life, or the future of the planet - I will listen to your story without judgement and help you consider the aspects that are holding you back or causing you difficulty or distress. You don't have to be in crisis or have a specific cause of dissatisfaction: people often come to therapy for insights or a better perspective.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a fully qualified therapist and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I have worked with dozens of clients in my private practice since 2020, and have also worked as a volunteer for the Royal Voluntary Service, Tayside's Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee, and as a volunteer counsellor for Talk Matters (Dunfermline), The Health Agency (Edinburgh) and Tayside Council on Alcohol (Perth).
I also have PhD and MSc degrees in Entomology and a BSc degree in Agronomy, and my previous activities include university lecturer, academic researcher, field station director and adviser for a British governmental organisation. I have hosted and trained more than 100 volunteers to carry out fieldwork on tropical forest expeditions. Volunteers were mostly from the UK and US, but also from countries as diverse as Argentina, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, Pakistan and Russia. Their 'jungle experience' included orientation, safety, nature conservation, tropical ecology, natural history and cultural sensitivity. So you could say my path to counselling and psychotherapy has been unusual. I can offer you skills acquired from years working with people from all walks of life and backgrounds.
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£50.00 per session
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning | |||||||
| Morning | |||||||
| Early afternoon | |||||||
| Late afternoon | |||||||
| Evening |
Further information
My practice is focused on anxiety, stress, depression, anger, self-esteem, relationship difficulties, loneliness & isolation, work-place conflicts, alcohol misuse, and existential angst - areas that are so often interlinked. I take an integrative approach, combining the person-centred principles of warm, mutual understanding between therapist and client with solution-orientated cognitive-behavioural methodology. But I use a range of tools to suit each client's personality, as long as they are effective and supported by evidence-based literature.
If you think I may be able to help you, give me a ring or send me a message. I will be happy to answer any questions, arrange an initial chat to discuss your needs and expectations, or book a first appointment. If we decide to continue working together, we will carry on at your own pace, exploring whatever you want to bring up. The sessions are open-ended, so it's up to you to decide how many times you’d like to talk to me. I also offer a 'walk and talk' option, where our sessions take place outdoors.
We would normally meet weekly for 50 minutes, but we can agree on any other schedule. My fee will be £50.00 per session.
